special edition of "today" on a monday morning. it's inauguration day, january 21st, 2013. we mentioned it's also martin luther king jr. day. you're looking at a live shot of the church of the presidents, st. john's church here in washington where the obamas and bidens and other dignitaries are attending an inauguration morning service, a tradition started by franklin roosevelt. i'm matt lauer along with savannah guthrie, natalie morales and al roker. we got our first look at the obamas and bidens this morning. after church, the president will head back to the white house, and have a 10:00 coffee with congressional leaders of both

parties. and then at 11:55 am the president will take the oath of office, immediately followed by his second inaugural address. after lunch inside the capital, the parade makes its way to the white house, with inaugural floats honoring, among others, the president's birth place, hawaii, and the state of illinois. we saw her in her thom browne coat, starting off her husband's second term, though, with a new look. you noticed the bangs. they have been the talk of town the past few days. we'll take a look at her influence over fashion over the past four years. >> i think there's going to be a lot of talk this morning about the size of the crowd here today and comparing it to the size of the crowd that was here back in 2009, something like 1.8 million people came to washington to witness the first inaugural of this president. they're expecting somewhere

between 500,000 and 700,000 this time. and i don't think that should be seen as a lack of enthusiasm. we met some people on the street this morning as we were preparing to do the show. they all seemed to be extremely excited as they made their way over to the mall and the capitol. a lot of people will be making their way through the streets, stopping at the souvenir stand that is have cropped up over the past couple of days. and some of their goods have made their way to our set. >> some of the souvenirs we've seen. >> tote bag, bobblehead and presidential hot sauce, not that it's endorsed by the president. >> an iphone cover. not too bad and signed, sealed and delivered candy bar but back to the drawing board, barack obama is spelled incorrectly. >> ooh. that could be valuable. >> that's worth something. >> b-a-r-a-k. >> you may not want to eat that

chocolate. if they can't make the wrapper correctly, how are they going to make the chocolate correctly? >> we've got the calendar here and then, if you're really collecting souvenirs -- >> you're on a roll, that's good. >> white house toilet paper which, as savannah said, you are on a roll. >> golf balls, nobody uses these things but it's fun to have. peter alexander is outside st. john's church. good morning again. >> reporter: good morning to you, matt. inaugural planners certainly hope that the weather can only hold like this. it is cold, but the sun for the first time is out. we remember the difference just four years ago, the first family arriving here at st. john's church just a short time ago, 8:30 this morning as we saw them for the first time as a family unit. the portrait has change ad a lo since their first arrival here. with more gray in his hair, his wife with bangs and the girls certainly have sprouted, malia

almost as tall as her mom. this is the church he most frequently visits, we're told by those who are inside with the first family today. the president is sitting in the front row, not too far away from the vice president joe biden. there is actually a pew reserved for the president of the united states, pew 54, where he will be sitting today. we're within eye shot of the wit house, probably a two or three football field walk. because of all the security, all the barricades, of course, they took that short drive here. you g not a bad way to do it, if you can. that's the beast, the vehicle that the president took, just a short time ago. it's a pretty good one. and that's the bus tour bus that's passing by as well. you can imagine there are a lot of people coming here to witness this experience as well. we saw the president get here. we saw the vice president get here. they're in there, enjoying church services. vehicles are all lined up. it was a delicate ballet a few

moments ago so they can speedily and efficient move them on to their next destination, which is the white house. >> peter alexander, thank you so much. timing is everything in our business, right? let's check in with lie geist, at the u.s. navy memorial along the parade route. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. send some of that obama hot sauce our way. some guys on the crew would appreciate it out in this weather. it is warming up. it's a beautiful day, as peter said. we are expecting to see the president in less than two hours make a pass by us, his motorcade, as peter said, will head up to the united states capitol. the real fun begins for the people who have begun to assemble here now as the gates have opened about -- some time after the inauguration, right about early afternoon. and we'll see him come by. we understand he is planning, again, this year, to get out of the car. we don't know how many times or where he will do that. he did it twice at his previous inauguration. jimmy carter was actually the first to do that back in 1977.

to give you an eye of the scope of the security here, we've got state troopers from around the country, including from the utah highway patrol. they were nice enough to share one of their patches with us. just past them, the alabama state highway patrol. there are officers from across the country here to make sure this goes off without a hitch. estimates, as matt said, somewhere between 500,000 and 700,000 people, that's according to homeland security who looks at things like restaurant, hotel reservations and charter buses to get to that number. that's an awful lot of people around this parade route as president obama makes his way down from the capitol back to the white house later this afternoon. guys? >> willie, you mentioned security. if you're anywhere near the parade route and you've gone through screening stations, you will not be allowed to have any aerosols, ammunition, which is an obvious, animals except for helper dogs, backpacks, bags,

bicycles, no structures to hold signs, mace, pepper spray. laser pointers. lot of prohibited items if you're anywhere near the celebration. >> no aerosol or hair spray for you, my friend as you head down the parade route. >> nbc's lester holt is also on the parade route. >> reporter: no mace allowed here either, matt. choirs are beginning to take their seats above the stage here on the west front. i want to quickly show you the official invitation for the ina inauguration, beautiful engraved invitation. on the inside the photo of the president. ace seats, if there are such a thing here, right behind me. the president will make his remarks, come to that red draped archway, take the oath of office at the front of the stage. and that's where he will deliver his inaugural address as well. seated on that stage will be, of course, members of congress, the president's cabinet, along with cabinet nominees, members of the

supreme court, the joint chiefs as well as members of the diplomatic core here in washington, d.c. the whole program is expected to last about an hour and a half. it gets under way at 11:30. of course, the swearing in by chief justice john roberts will be ceremonial. the president took care of the official business of starting his second term the constitutional date of january 20th yesterday at the white house. his remarks, we're told, will talk about the need to bring the country together during some very divided times. and then he will go inside after the speech for a luncheon, traditional luncheon before the inaugural parade up pennsylvania avenue. matt, we'll send it back to you. >> lester, thank you very much. we'll be checking in with you several times over the next several hours. >> let's turn to mr. roker and get the all-important forecast for today. >> that's right. nothing too horrible. that's the good news. skies are starting to get cloudy later on. chance of a few snow showers, but that will be late. temperatures will climb into the

40s as the parade gets going. what we're all looking at, though, as the system makes its way across the great lakes, lake-effect snow developing. late tonight into early tomorrow new england under the gun, separate low pressure system forms, bringing snow to boston, coastal new england. we're looking at anywhere from six to 12 inches of snow there. and another six to 12, half a foot -- foot and a half of snow back through the eastern great lakes. th >> good morning. it will be chilly day today but it will get even colder tomorrow. a mixture of sun and clouds. and that's your latest

weather. >> al, thank you very much. up next, the first lady's fashion. michelle obama's impact on american style. and we'll be live as the first family leaves church and heads over to the white house for coffee with congressional leaders. that's right after this. weight watchers online worked for us. we don't argue much. we really don't. meg usually just gets her way, and i go along with it. i think it worked for matt because i did it for him. when i'm the one cooking, i'm the one calculating the points. i can microwave things. you get to eat real food. we still get to go out. we're just so much smarter about it. we can keep each other in check. going, "okay, i see you." we've lost about 110 pounds together. it helped our love life. happy wife, happy life, right? right. [ jennifer ] weight watchers online. the power of weight watchers completely online. join for free today. people have been daring them to clean up tough messes. my fans think a paper towel can't handle this. ♪ that is tough when wet. [ peggy ] grab viva and break the rules on all your tough messes. [ peggy ] grab viva and break the rules

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[ children laugh ] [ female announcer ] golden, crispy outside. warm and fluffy inside. we are one good-looking family. [ children laugh ] [ female announcer ] eggo waffles. simply delicious. the world is watching today as president obama's second inauguration gets under way. they're watching for substance. let's admit it, they're watching for style, too. first glimpse of the first family this morning. michelle obama is wearing the designer thom browne and a little correction from the white house. her necklace is from designer

kathy wiederman, not her earrings. she does everything right from a fashion perspective or does so much right we forget any wrongs we might see along the way. >> i think what we see is something very personal. she seems to choose clothing and accessories that really speak to her personality instead of trying to figure out how to do this cookie cutter, traditional protocol based first lady style. >> as an outsider, it appears she enjoys style and enjoys picking designers. that she likes this aspect of the job. >> if you do not like style, you would not be wearing a thom browne coat. this is not a designer that you wander into your local mall and find. >> let me ask you about that. i'm no fashionista. i never had heard of that designer. is that somebody who is not well known? >> he is someone who really came out of the men's wear world. that's where he started.

all those guys walking around in shrunken little jackets and high waist trousers, thom browne is responsible for that. he doesn't have a lot of distribution. he does have a collection. but other than that,'s hard to find, very unique. >> a lot of folks will be looking to what she wears to the inaugural ball. her choices there, anything she wears, can really put a designer on the map. >> one of the most interesting things that a retail consultant said to me is you're guaranteed a lot of exposure, but you're not guaranteed success. that's because unlike when she wears j. crew, where you can run out and get that cardigan, for special occasions like this, it's unique. you get that awareness but it's not like you're selling these ball gowns left and right. >> do you have any guesses as to what she might choose for tonight's ball? >> if i knew, i would be in las vegas right now. but based on what she has worn

so far, it feels like it will be a bit more subdued from last time. >> that was a jason wu dress. >> it was the white jason wu dress. >> many designers people didn't know. do you think that's something she takes into account, that ability she has to give somebody a name? is she trying to spread the wealth a little bit to other designers? >> yeah. i think she's very smart in that she hasn't attached her name to one particular design house. and she has also, i think, recognized that the fashion industry is not just about the giant corporations. it's about small business owners. it's about female entrepreneurs. it's about young, immigrant entrepreneurs. and that really comes through on her choices. >> she does seem to try to do a mix of the everyday designers that any of us could have access to, and some of the higher end ones as well. >> absolutely. >> it's always good to have you here. thank you so much. >> my pleasure. coming up next, small town letter that made a big impression on president obama. what he wrote back right after

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unfurling. history is a journey. as we take our journey we think of those who traveled before us. we stand again at the steps of the symbol of our democracy. where we would have been standing at the steps had it not gotten so-called. now we're standing inside this symbol of our democracy. >> ronald reagan back in 1985. at 73 years of age, delivering his second inaugural address and making reference to the fact that on that day in washington, back in 1985, it was 7 degrees outside, so the proceedings were moved inside the capitol rotunda. take a look at the crowds that are now building just behind us here on the mall. people also gathering along the parade route even though the parade won't start for several hours. but those are just some of the 500,000 to 700,000 people expected in washington this morning for the second inauguration of barack obama. every day, thousands of letters are delivered to the white house. and every night, the president handwrites responses to just a select few.

kevin tibbles has the story of one letter from a tiny town in northern minnesota. >> reporter: wely. seems like winter. below zero windchill. >> reporter: folks here like to joke about living at the end of the road. >> we have all kinds of decrcree ways of making the white season theatrical. >> reporter: fell in love with it 30 years ago, a place to set up his dog sledding business. it's the kind of place where neighbors must rely on one another. he first noticed teenager greg ott when he came in dead last in a local race. >> when i saw later he came through with a warm smile and his own sense of satisfaction that he pulled it off, i figured we could do the same out here. watch out, girl. >> reporter: he decided to pay it forward, hiring ott as a guide. >> i love it. best job you can have, to be outdoors, doing what you love. >> reporter: founded back in the

1800s as a mining town, rough and tumble sort of place where things don't always come easy. but it's that can-do pioneer spirit that inspired jerry snyder to write to president obam obama. >> can i get about ten stamps? >> reporter: snyder was hoping that the president would respond with a letter that eely could preserve in its time capsule. lo and behold, a letter from the president appeared. >> 50 years from now i hope we can have an economy that allows every young person willing to work hard to thrive and i hope that america remains a shining example of those ideals i believe are universal, signed barack obama. but see, he is not writing just to ely. he is writing to all small towns. >> reporter: dan armstrong, water engineer and father of three, agrees. >> strikes me that you believe this is more than a town. >> it's my family.

>> reporter: when he needed a kidney transplant, people rallied round. something his wife, jennifer, will never forget. >> i had people just come help me clean my home. i had people get my kids to practices. i had people watch my dogs. >> reporter: if you had something to say to the president about your town, what would it be? >> it's not what you take when you leave this world. it's what you leave behind you. >> reporter: now that president obama has touched this town with his letter in true ely fashion, they would all like to give something back. perhaps a day of ice fishing out on the frozen lake. do you think he would like it? >> if we caught fish, yeah. >> reporter: so, mr. president, the invite is out there. just don't forget your woolly socks. for "today," kevin tibbles, nbc news, ely, minnesota. >> probably prompted a lot of people in small towns to pick up the pen and start writing today. >> the crowds are building on the nation's capitol. president obama, the first family and the bidens are inside

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>> this is a wbal-tv 11 news in baltimore. >> it will be a chilly day today. the coldest air will be at the middle portion of the week. a chance for snow showers and flurries late this afternoon and evening. high temperatures are going to be in the 20's. wind chills will be in the

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back now on this inauguration morning. it's the 21st of january, 2013. we're keeping a close eye on that picture, st. john's church, where currently the obamas and the bidens and several of their closest family and friends are attending the traditional inaugural day morning prayer service. and as soon as the families emerge, we will take you there live. >> it would be embarrassing if they had already gone out the back door with all of us standing and waiting. >> there may be precedence for that. congressional leaders have left the capitol and are head over to the white house. a short drive but all that security along with them. they, of course, will have coffee with the president. the senators who are in charge of the planning committees for this inauguration and festive

activities will be there, along with some of the bipartisan leadership of the senate and house. >> chuck schumer, harry reid, nancy pelosi, eric cantor, and john boehner will be headed over there. first, president obama began with the slogan hope and change. then he got a jolt of washington reality. we'll take a look back at the some times rocky road of the first term. >> we've seen that crowd building, craig. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. the crowd, indeed, has been growing throughout the morning. say hello. say hello. before you get from the u.s. capital behind me, the less it is like an inauguration, the more it is like a block

party/picnic. folks from texas, buffalo, new york, who have said several times this is far from cold. i do want to -- where are you from? >> from new jersey. >> reporter: from new jersey. first inauguration? >> yes, it is. >> reporter: what brings you out? >> obama all the way. >> reporter: how about you? where are you from? >> trenton, new jersey. >> reporter: oh, this is all jersey here? i should have known by the rowdiness. and where are you guys from? >> atlanta, georgia. >> reporter: from atlanta. sorry about the falcons but welcome to d.c. >> it's all good. thank you. >> reporter: first inauguration? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: what are you first looking forward to? >> being here for history. >> reporter: thank you so much for being here. from florida. good to have you. lots of excited folks here on the national mall, savannah guthrie, we'll send it back to you and matt. >> they're packed in real tight,

keeping warm. craig melvin, thank you very much. let's listen in now behind us. the choir from staten island is performing for the crowd. this is a group that has performed with a lot of talented people. they have sung with the likes of carrie underwood. a huge moment for them. didn't they also perform for the academy awards one year? they actually closed the awards one year. >> quite an accomplished chorus. hard year for the people of staten island. what an honor to be there at this moment in our history. let's take a turn and talk to mr. roker. you are an important man today with the weather forecast. >> the president already said it would be warmer today than it was for his last inaugural. he is correct. we are expecting temperatures getting up into the 40s. inaugural in 1981, warmest, ronald reagan, 55 degrees. he also has the distinction of having the coldest inaugural in

1985. it was 7 degrees at noon. so they ended up moving the inauguration inside the capital. wettest was back in 1937, fra franklin d. roosevelt and the snowiest in 1909, william taft getting almost 10" of snow. >> good morning. a strong cold front will not the temperatures into the 20's tomorrow. today, a chance for some snow showers late >> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. let's check in with peter

alexander, who has the prime spot at st. john's church, where we expect the first family to exit at any moment. good morning again. >> reporter: the folks at home have a pretty good spot staring right into the front door of the church. the president and his family should be leaving in just a matter of moments. they allow what they call a pool of reporters to be inside. colleagues are in there, telling us what's taken place over the course of the past 45 minutes. the pastor here referred more specifically to the president during his sermon today as the pastor in chief. he spoke about his visit to newtown, connecticut, when he was able to watch the president really assume that role only a couple of weeks ago and he also spoke about the president being the most powerful person in that room and needs to leverage that power for the benefit of others. this pastor, who has become a friend of the obama family, said mr. president, you have an awfully big room. my prayer to you is to leverage that power for the stewardship of our nation. as we stand out here, the president will arrive, of course. so will the vice president,

along with his family. the next stop will be, as we said, a short drive back across the street basically, crossing just around lafayette park to the white house where they will participate in this congressional coffee that takes place today, congressional leadership will be there as we start to see secret service exiting the church. we anticipate we'll see the president in just a matter of moments. it was remarkable, matt and savannah, to see the security outside this place even before the president arrived. there is pete souza, photographer of the white house. as you see, luis leon, the rector here. we can now see the obama family as they come outside. >> peter, as they do exit the church -- i can hear people cheering in the background -- going back to that point you made where the pastor talked about the president being the pastor in chief, in an article in the times yesterday, they were talking, some friends of the president about how he has changed over these last four years and they mentioned the wake of the newtown school shooting and they could see in his face the toll of absorbing

the nation's traumas and when asked about it, he said this is what i do when you think about newtown, hurricane sandy and military families who have lost loved ones in iraq and afghanistan, it is a major part of this job and it's not an easy part of it. >> reporter: i think that's exactly right. you see the president and first lady as they get into, again, what we call the beast. just across from us, the adams hotel. on the roof of the hotel some staff members are up there. that's who the president was waving to, everyone trying to crane to get the best opportunity they can to see what's taking place there. we pan the camera back around and you can see the vice president waving to individuals alongside his wife, dr. jill biden. they will head over to the white house again today. there's a thumb's up from vice president joe biden as he looks up to the individuals watching here as well.

really struck by this moment as you see, the vehicles out front. this is a tradition that has dated back for decades, of course. president obama attending church here far less often than some of his predecessors only a short distance away. we see jim messina. without him, this may not have taken place. he was the campaign manager for the obama re-election campaign. his role as significant as anybody, perhaps, in helping to make this day a reality for those who supported the president over the course of the last year. messina will now be running that vast array of names, list of names and supporters that the president has been able to take advantage of as they try to use that lift to help pursue some of his initiatives including an effort to pursue gun control in the weeks and months ahead. matt? >> as we take a look here, we now know that this inauguration day is under way in earnest. vehicles departing from the white house where they'll have a quick coffee with the bipartisan leadership as well as the lead

organizers on this day with senator schumer. as you said, no question this job changes a person. having been president now for four years. >> they talk about the change that some close advisers and friends have seen of president obama, in the article it talks about the man who wanted to change the nature of washington now actually warns job candidates that it's hard to get anything done there. so, that's kind of a rude awakening that tom and david and doris talked about a little while ago. you come to this town for your first inaugural and you're fill ed with this hope and idealism and, unfortunately, there is a lot of reality that takes hold very quickly in this job and in this city. >> in some ways, washington itself is that immovable object, the president going to have coffee with the congressional leaders with both parties, a moment of bipartisanship, symbol

of bipartisanship, yet the reality of bipartisanship all too rare in these last four years as washington has changed quite a bit. >> the american people want partisanship. they're tired of the gridlock and the fighting. >> and yet in a couple of weeksl roll up their sleeves, take the gloves off, talking about things like passing a budget, then they'll have to deal with gun control, climate. if the four years is any indication, it won't be smooth sailing. >> i've covered the white house, used to talking to both sides, the distrust that exists in both parties, in my opinion, has never been higher when you talk about the same set of circumstances, negotiation, for example, over the fiscal cliff, to hear each side tell it, they tell such a widely divergent story of what happened,

exemplifying how divided these two sides are. >> and there are fractures within the parties as well. john boehner and eric cantor went in separate directions over the fiscal cliff debate. probably some in the democratic party as well. and the two sides haven't done well. here come the bidens up the front steps of the white house. joe biden and dr. jill biden. >> that's an entrance these folks don't use very often, ceremonial front door of the white house. usually they're shuffled into the west side of the white house. this is a day about ceremony and pomp and circumstance and so they're entering through the front door for this coffee. it's expected to last about 15 minutes. i don't think there will be an omelette bar. it's a short one. >> because we have just seen the re-election of the president, these moments unfolding at the white house are not as dramatic as the circumstances would be if

we were to have a new president coming in where that president that's about to be sworn in comes to greet the sitting president. it's always an emotional moment. here is president obama, malia, sasha and mrs. obama in the background there. and this will be the last time we see them -- and mrs. robinson. >> who has been such a key to have this first family adjust to this new life. as we understand it, she will continue to live in the white house, taking care of the girls and is a big part of how they've been growing up under this intense light. >> many people wondered how long that would last. immediately his mother-in-law was in the residence with them. it seems to be working quite well. pete souza, white house photographer in the background. let's get to andrea mitchell on hill right now. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning again to you. this is a panorama. these are the greatest seats where governors and senators

will be seated. they will be escorted in a little bit. we'll be talking to some of them from their vantage point and you'll see democrats and republicans. if you pan out a little bit, you'll see well-known republican strategist standing next to me. four years ago, frank, you helped lead a group of republicans who were strategizing, including cantor, all the house leaders, strategizing on how to stop barack obama from achieving his goals. was that a signal of the obstructionism and partisanship that we experienced? >> this is really surreal that i would be standing next to you. i hope we don't lose the contract because of it. republicans did gather four years ago but it was kind of irrelevant. they lost the house, the senate, the white house. they lost everything. and they gathered that night because they had no place to go. they wanted to know at that point, what should they do. and it was not an issue of

standing against the president. it was an issue of why did they still matter and how do you get 46% of americans represented in washington. >> okay. frank luntz, thank you very much. i know the president will be speaking about bipartisanship. it's a different agenda. it's a second term. he only has a year, year and a half before people say he will be a lame duck. he has big goals. savannah? >> andrea mitchell, we'll see those seats fill up very quickly behind you. check back with you a little bit later on. >> we're back with much more on this exciting morning in washington and across the country, right after this. ♪ ♪ ♪

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this could make his segd term more important than the first if he does it right. >> i still look for this inaugural address to be a road map for action in the second term. where the president overcome atmospherics of this town, which very tough, and budget issues. >> this is surely one of the moments in a presidency. do you expect it to be more prose? >> we'll hear more in the state of the union address. as he takes this new campaign across the country, the message to the country is find a way to work together. >> david, doris, thank you very much. >> and we will be back right after this. go! go olive garden's three course italian dinner. it's back for just $12.95. featuring 5 delicious new entrees to choose from. go creamy and dig into rich new penne di mare with shrimp. or maybe go crunchy with new parmesan potato crusted chicken. served with unlimited fresh salad and warm breadsticks. finish with a decadent dessert.

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with congressional leaders of both parties and then will head to the capitol for the day's events. >> he will be sworn in for the second time in two days, fourth time in four years, at 11:55 on the east coast. we're back from washington in a moment. this is "today" on nbc.

back now from capitol hill. we want to mention that brian williams is here. he will pick up nbc's special coverage of the inauguration of president obama in a moment and take you through this historic day. >> lots to get to. lots ahead. stick with nbc. first on a monday morning, a check of your local news and weather. [ telephone rings ] good evening, this is flo. [laughs] yes, i'm that flo.

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